1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising electrodes with openings.
2. Description of the Background Art
As one technique that improves the viewing angle dependency of a liquid crystal display apparatus, there is known a multi-domain orientation technique that provides a plurality of openings (slits) to the respective upper and lower electrodes disposed facing each other and sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween, thereby dividing the orientation domain of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer into a plurality of directions inside a single pixel when voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer. For example, Japanese Patent No. 4107978 discloses a liquid crystal display apparatus (liquid crystal display device) wherein each opening of an upper electrode and each opening of a lower electrode are alternately disposed in the respective shorter directions in the planar view, thereby obtaining two orientation domains in which the orientation directions of the liquid crystal molecules differ from each other by 180° (degrees) in the liquid crystal layer when voltage is applied. Further, Japanese Patent No. 4846402 discloses a liquid crystal display apparatus (liquid crystal display device) wherein the longer directions of an opening of an upper electrode and an opening of a lower electrode are respectively set and disposed in two different directions, thereby obtaining four orientation domains in which the orientation directions of the liquid crystal molecules differ from each other by 90° (degrees) in the liquid crystal layer when voltage is applied.
Further, Japanese Patent No. 4884176 discloses a liquid crystal display apparatus (liquid crystal display device) wherein, in a case where the longer directions of an opening of an upper electrode and an opening of a lower electrode are respectively set and disposed in two different directions, the opening of the upper electrode and the opening of the lower electrode are alternately disposed shifted one-half pitch from each other in the planar view, thereby obtaining four orientation domains in which the orientation directions of the liquid crystal molecules differ from each other by 90° (degrees) in the liquid crystal layer when voltage is applied. According to such a configuration, compared to the liquid crystal display apparatus of Japanese Patent No. 4846402, the distance between adjacent openings can be further increased, making it possible to significantly reduce the electrical resistance increase of the electrode as well as the likelihood of the occurrence of electrode disconnection.
Hence, consider a case where an orientation control technique such as described above is applied to a segment display-type liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a display part for predetermined characters, designs, and the like. In this case, each electrode is subjected to pattern formation so that a region where the segment electrode of one substrate overlaps the common electrode of another substrate forms a display part for the above described characters and the like. Normally, since a plurality of display parts is required, a plurality of segment electrodes corresponding to each display part is connected to each other by lead wirings, thereby forming a pattern so that the common electrodes overlap each segment electrode.
However, in a liquid crystal display apparatus that realizes multi-domain orientation by an orientation control technique such as described above, for each electrode of the upper and lower substrates, each opening is provided only to a section corresponding to a display part and not to lead wirings or external extraction electrode parts, making it possible to prevent the disconnection of each electrode.
Nevertheless, in a segment display-type liquid crystal display apparatus such as described above, the segment electrode (or common electrode) is made into a shape that is almost an outline of the display part, causing segment electrode disconnection to more readily occur. Further, even if disconnection does not occur, the electrical resistance more readily increases, resulting in the concern that this may cause display unevenness in which the brightness during a bright display differs between each of the plurality of display parts.
It is therefore an object of the specific aspects of the present invention to provide a technique capable of making a liquid crystal display apparatus (in particular, a segment display type) that uses electrodes comprising openings less susceptible to electrode disconnection and electrical resistance increase.